Ministry to appoint contracted teachers to priority areas in Turkey

The draft, 35 articles of which were passed by parliament’s education commission on June 28, seeks to sign contracts with teachers and appoint them for three consecutive years to formal and non-formal public education institutions that have been categorized by the government as areas of “development priority” in 50 provinces in the country. According to the regulation, in the event of reassignment due to familial reasons, a teaching couple’s location will be arranged based on contracted teachers’ duty location. 

The article on contracted teachers’ appointment to prioritized areas comes after Education Minister İsmet Yılmaz revealed a plan on June 16 to meet the deficit in the number of teachers on duty in eastern and southeastern provinces by compelling all contracted teachers to work in the region for at least eight years before being reappointed elsewhere.

“At the moment we appoint a teacher to the southeast and almost 90 percent of them return within a year, citing an excuse or a spouse-related issue,” Yılmaz said. 

The draft also aims to increase the number of the ministry’s deputy undersecretaries from five to seven and give it authorization to provide opening and work permits to institutions that offer residential services, such as dormitories. The authorization also includes the ability to take a decision to shut down such premises if any legal violations are determined, with the ministry able to transfer this power to governors. 

The draft also stipulates the inclusion of apprenticeships in secondary education.